Special Projects

The Deafblind Project

TheDeafblind Project is federally funded over the grant period of October1, 2003 to March 30, 2008. In conjunction with the priorities andmission of PaTTAN, there are five major goals of the deafblind project:

• Increase families' participation as informed decision-makers in the education oftheir children through acquisition of knowledge and skills. Goal 1 Activities
• Establish a network of parents and family resources through family involvement activities, a Parent Leadership Network, and dissemination of information. Goal 2 Activities
• Enhance the local capacity to develop and implement effective instructional programs for children and youth who are deafblind by conducting strategically planned outreach, technical assistance and training focused on the critical needs of deafblindness. Goal 3 Activities
• Conduct early, accurate, and ongoing identification of children and youth who are at risk for deafblindness, or who are deafblind, to ensure optimal programming that addresses individualized needs, to plan project services based on census information, and to share census information with other agencies. Goal 4 Activities
• Coordinate with state and national resources for effective program services, through exchange of information and collaboration of services and product development. Goal 5 Activities

Deafblind Project Goal 1 Activities

• Family Learning Workshops and Conferences
• Distance learning based study groups (including participation in "Project SPARKLE")
• Replicationof training regarding best practices from National Family Workshopsprovided through the National Family Association for Deafblind and theNational Consortium on Deaf-Blindness (NCDB).
• Individualizedtechnical assistance to teams, agencies, and schools regarding theintervention or educational needs of children and youth who aredeafblind

Deafblind Project Goal 2 Activities

• Family Leadership Network workshops and collaborative meetings
• Parent-to-Parent Support
• Family listserv
• Sharingand exchange of information with other families in Pennsylvania andnationally for children and youth who are deafblind by conductingstrategically planned outreach, and technical assistance and trainingfocused on the critical needs of deafblindness

Deafblind Project Goal 3 Activities

• On-siteassessment of local needs with local intermediate unit and schools,with dissemination of information and training based on those needs
• State-levelworkshops for inservice and preservice levels of educators,paraeducators, interpreters, school nurses, and service providers ofchildren who are deafblind
• Develop and share resources (print,video, online) about effective practices in deafblind education throughmailings, web-pages, the internet, and presentations
• Integrateand jointly train with other initiatives of the Bureau of SpecialEducation and the Pennsylvania Training and Technical AssistanceNetwork (e.g., literacy, paraeducator, progress monitoring)
• Support institutes of higher education with resources, materials, assistance in recruitment, and identification of needs

Deafblind Project Goal 4 Activities

• Collectdata for the deafblind census about the sensory and educational statusof students, along with contact information for families and educatorsof specific students
• Share data about the population ofchildren and youth who are deafblind with schools, intermediate units,early intervention agencies, and state agencies
• Identify training needs based on the data from the deafblind census

Deafblind Project Goal 5 Activities

• Conduct ongoing support and training on meeting behavioral needs
• Develop satellite teleconference and materials on augmentative communication
• Implement the NCDB Long Range Technical Assistance Plan
• Exchange information with the Advisory Council
• Supportthe Teaching Research Institute at Western Oregon University intheir research project on "Cochlear Implants for Children with aCombined Hearing and Vision Loss" in identifying children andassessing their communication skills